Valve construction



Patented Aug. 13, 1929.

UNITED STATES i 1,724,239 PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH WEI-IR, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNQE TO THE WEI-IR MOTORGOMIPANY, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

VALVE CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed March 21, 1928. Serial No. 263,253.

My invention relates to improvements in valve constructions and moreparticularly to valves for internal combustion engines 1n which meansare provided for automatically compensating for the temperature and wearchanges to which such constructions are subjected so that an leakage mayeffective 1y be prevented, ant also to compensate for any deleteriouseffects resulting from the explosive force in such engines.

Various devices and mechanisms have already been proposed forcompensating for temperature and wear changes, such as wedges and thelike, but they have fallen far short ofaccomplishing the objects1ntended, for it is a most difficult feature to successfully pack-arotary surface.

It is my main purpose, therefore, to do away with wedges entirely, anduse instead a purely wedging action, rather than use a wedge, whichfeature, so far as I am aware, has never before been used for providinga compensating means for a rotary valve. Moreover, in modern internalcombustion engine practice no means has been provided for compensatingfor the rapid blows to which such valves are subjected by the eX-plosions in said engines.

To this end, it is an object of my invention to provide a novel form ofvalve con struction in which an automatipally actuated compensatingdevice in the form of a shoe or mobile member having a curved surfacepositioned on the rotary valve of an internal combustion or otherengine, which shoe is also preferably provided with a plane surfaceadapted to coactwith the plane surface of an oscillating device toproduce a purely wedging action on a rotary valve for compensating fortemperature and wear changes to prevent leakage, and also to compensatefor the explosive force in said engine on said valve.

It is also within the province of my invention to position theoscillating device off-center with respect to the vertical trans verseaxis of the rotary valve, the vertical center line of said device beingpositioned oifcenter or eccentric toward the direction of rotation ofsaid valve.

The above and further objects and advantages of my invention, as willhereinafter more fully appear, I attain by the apparatus constructed inaccordance with the specification, and illustrated on the drawingsforming a part of my application.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which similarreference characters denote similar parts. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through the cylinder head ofan internal combustion engine showing my invention applied thereto, theparts being in the position when the engine is partly warmed,

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but showing the valve in a different position,the compensating device being also shown inoperative position, slightlyexaggerated.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line3-3, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views showing in exaggerated form thepositions taken by the compensating devices with re spect to thevertical transverse axes of the valve and the oscillating device.

Describing my invention. more in detail, the cylinder head 2 is providedwith the usual water jacket 41-, which cylinder head may be associatedwith the cylinders 6, containing the pistons 83, in any way in practicepreferred, said cylinders being provided with the usual inlet ports 10.

The valve casing 12 is shaped to house the rotary valve 1a, which valveis provided with the usual cut-away portions forming respectively theinlet passages 16 and er:- haust passages 18, adapted to beintermittently and in sequence connected with the inlet ports 20 andexhaust ports 22 and the cylinder inlet ports 10.

Positioned on the valve 14-, and adapted to be moved circumferentiallywith respect thereto, is the compensating shoe or mobile member 24,which member is provided with a curved surface 26 fitting snugly overthe valve 14., as seen more particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, said shoebeing positioned and op erable in the extension 28 of the valvecasing12, said extension having a curved or bulging portion 30 in which ispositioned and operable therein the oscillating member or device 32,which device has a curved top surface and a lower plane surface 34,which plane surface is adapted to coact with the upper plane surface ofthe shoe 24 to produce the wedging action presently to be explained. Itwill of course be understood that the valve, shoe and oscillating memberor device extend the longitudinal length of the cylinders 6. See Fig. 3.

For the purpose of continually urging the shoe 24 to the valve 14, theconventional spring and adjustable nut structure 36 is provided, thevalve 14 being also provided with the cut-away portion 38 covering theport 10 on the compression stroke of the piston 8, a screw-threadedcavity 40 being also provided for the reception of the usual spark plug.

The relation of the compensating means with respect to the valve 14 isshown diagrammatically on Figs. 4 and 5. 'As seen in said figures, thetransverse vertical axis 0 of the oscillating device 32 is positionedeccentric or oft-center with respect to the transverse vertical axisthrough the center of the valve 14, said axis 0 being shown to the leftof the axis V or toward the direction of rotation of the valve, ratherthan to the right, this feature being shown exaggerated for the sake ofclearness.

The various parts of the compensating means are in the position shown inFig. 2

when the engine is cold or when it is frilly heated, and Fig. 1 showsthe parts in the position they assume when the engine has been butpartly heated, the external portions being still cold. When the engineis fully heated, the oscillating device 32 and the shoe 24 have movedfrom the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2.

Due to the excessive number of blows produced by the rapid explosions intheengine cylinders, there is a continual hammering on the valve 14. Sofar as I am aware no structure heretofore proposed for compen- Q satingfor this feature has ever been provided.

Due to the eccentric or otf-center relation between the axes O and V, ashereinbefore described, the force of the rapid fire explosions in thecylinders are communicated to the valve 14, and directly to the shoe 24,which shoe coacts with the off-center oscillating device 32 to producethe wedging action hereinbefore' explained, said shoe 24 beingcontinually urged against the periphery of said valve. This isaccomplished by positioning the axis 0 to the left of the axis V, ortoward the direction of the rotation ofthe valve, which rotation isindicated by the arrows.- Obviously, no such' action could be had if theaxis 0 were positioned tothe right of the axis V. Y

In addition to this compensating feature, the wedging action-of theparts 32 and 24 compensate for temperature and wear changes in thevalve'14 as explained.

*The operation of the apparatus should now be clear. The temperature andwear changes and the rapid fire blows of the explosions in. thecylinders cause; the spring 36 to-expand or contract, the device 320scillating freely in the curved portion 30, and its plane surfacecoacting with the plane surface of the shoe 24 to move said shoecircumferentially, either clockwise or counter clockwise, an eflfectivewedging action being thus produced to hold said shoe to the valve andthe valve to its seat so that there can be no leakage between the inletand exhaust ports 20 and 22. The member 32 and shoe 24 may be adjustedby the adjusting nut of the spring 36 so that they may move relativelyany distance desired.

lVhile I have thus described my invention with great particularity, itwill be clear that the same may be modified throughout a wide range. Iaccordingly do not propose to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction described and claimed, but reserve the right in practice tomake any and all changes that fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a valve construction, a valve casing, a rotary valve in saidcasing, said casing being provided with a curved portion, an oscillatingdevice in said curved portion, a springpressed member slidable on saiddevice as said device is oscillataed, said member being adapted to coactwith said device to produce a wedging action of said member on saidvalve.

2. In a valve construction, a valve casing, a rotary valve in saidcasing, said casing being provided lengthwise thereof with a curvedportion, a curved member positioned in said curved portion andoscillatable therein, and a shoe adapted to coact with said member toproduce a wedging action of said shoe against said valve.

3. In a valve construction, a valve casing, a rotary valve in saidcasing, an automatic compensating device associated with said valve,said device comprising a shoe movable circumferentially of said valve,and an oscillating device positioned ofl center with respect to saidvalve, said shoe and said oscillating device being adapted to coact toprovide a wedging action of said compcnsating device on said valve.

4. In a valve construction, a valve casing, a rotary valve in saidcasing, and automatic means for compensating for the rapid fireexplosions in the cylinders with which said valve is associated, saidmeans including a shoe and an oscillating device positioned ottcenter oreccentric with respect to the transverse vertical aixs of said valve andtoward the direction of rotation of said valve.

5. In a valve construction, a housing, a rotary valve therein, and acmupensating means, comprising a shoe mov: hle circumferentially of andby said valve, and a pivot thrust for said shoe and relatively to whichsaid shoeis movable.

rotary valve therein, and a compensating means, comprising relativelymovable 1nembers, one of said members movable circu1nferentially of andby said valve.

7. In a valve construction, a housing, a rotar valve therein, and acompensating means, comprising an oscillatable thrust, and avalve-engaging shoe movable circumferentially of and by said valve andrela- 10 tively to said thrust.

8. In a valve construction, a housing, a valve therein, and acompensating means comprising a shoe movable circumferentially of saidvalve, and a pivot-thrust for said shoe disposed laterally of the axisof rotation of said valve and relatively to Which said shoe is movable.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

RUDOLPH VVEHR.

